In Cartoon D, titled The True Issue or "That's What's the Matter, one will see 1864 Democratic Presidential Candidate George McClellan acting as
an intermediary between Union President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate
President Jefferson Davis. Analyzing the image alone, one can see that the map
of the United States, on which Lincoln and Davis both have a grip, is beginning
to tear down the middle. The cartoon is showing that without Candidate
McClellan, the United States will inevitably tear apart and the Union will
separate. Because of that, it leads me to believe this is a pro-Democrat
cartoon in support of McClellan for President. Also, each character in the
cartoon is saying something. Lincoln is saying, “No Peace Without Abolition,”
while Davis is saying, “No Peace Without Separation.” When comparing those two
statements, and taking into account the pro-democratic nature of the cartoon,
the author is saying that with Lincoln in office the war will continue and the
Union could be lost. Democratic Candidate Davis, on the other hand, is saying,
“Union Must Be Preserved at All Hazards.” That saying was taken from his letter
accepting the Democratic Presidential Nomination. In the speech, McClellan
spoke strongly about reestablishing the Union, but did not have any mention of
the abolition of slavery and was willing to let any Confederate state who
wished to rejoin the Union do so with no consequence(sonsofthesouth.net).
This cartoon is
significant because it gives an alternate view of a way to end the Civil War.
Although the Electoral College was heavily in Lincolns favor, McClellan did win
45% of the popular vote. At the time, the outcome of the war was not certain,
so the idea of voting McClellan into the presidency to put an end to the war
seemed like a viable option. It could be argued the only thing that won the
election for Lincoln was when General Sherman took Atlanta in September. This
victory gave the Union hope that a military victory was possible and wouldn’t have
to negotiate with the Confederacy(ushistory.org). So, in conclusion, this
political cartoon was able to gain McClellan votes and show the Union
population that there was an alternative to a war that had already been overly
costly.
I read your blog on political cartoon D, it was interesting. I would have to agree with your assessment that it was a pro-Democracy cartoon in support of McClellan. The support in the cartoon for McClellan was made clear as you mentioned that part of the cartoon used the words, “Union must be preserved at All Hazards,” which was taken from his Presidential nomination speech. I also think possibly you could say that the cartoonist as well as for McClellan but also in support of his political platform, for reestablishing the union. I also think as you noted in your post that it showed that was an alternative to the war. I think you did an excellent job describing and explaining the cartoon.
ReplyDeleteI chose the same cartoon, and I agree with your conclusion that it is pro-McClellan. I think it is also important to look just a little deeper and consider who the artist is and their intended audience. My research showed it was drawn by Currier & Ives, and that during election years they capitalized on political drawings that would sell, more than just make a political statement. By comparison, many of Nast’s illustrations were purely political. This one is unusual in that it is pro-Democratic, when Currier & Ives were usually pro-Republican. I interpret this to mean that the illustration reflects the popular sentiment in the middle-class regarding the dragging on of the war, and a shift in opinion regarding Lincoln.
ReplyDelete"Currier and Ives: The History of the Firm." CURRIER & IVES. Currier and Ives Foundation. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. http://www.currierandives.com/.